Faded dreams, Returning memories
by THE BONDSWORD
Summary: The power of the Grimoire is greater and deeper than Ivalice itself. When five kids are transported there they make friends, learn about themselves, and face foes. But one shall fight the greatest evil of all. He is Virgil, this is his story.disclaimer in


This is only my second fanfic and my first in the final fantasy tactics advance area so please be gentle with reviews and give kind criticism.

I hope that those of you who read this have reason to like it. Otherwise I don't know why you're reading it in the first place.

I do not own any of the main characters except the three at the beginning and nor do I own Ivalice.

So please read, review, relax, and enjoy the story!

Bervenia Palace. Surrounded by the grandiose wall separating it from the town below it was an impressive sight. Upon the wall itself a group of Defenders marched in perfect line, and order to the resounding cadence of a beating drum that came from somewhere below them. Upon the spires and in front of the gates that were upon them had two Templars each stood in front of the portals.

Deep within one of the tunnels three bodies ambled down the hallway toward a gate that was sealed with five locks, and guarded by two paladins, and three defenders. As they appeared from the shadows of the darkness the guardians drew their weapons and shields. Holding them up in warning one of the Defenders yelled, "Who goes there?!" There was no answer.

"I ask again: Who goes there?!"

Again no answer but the three continued their trek toward the gate. The sound of their footsteps made their approach enigmatic and almost phantom-like.

Finally when they were within a few feet of the protectors the soldiers prepared to charge. However the shorter of the three, who seemed like he had a bit of a hump in his back, held his hands into the air from which charged a ball of lightning. At first it seemed as though thunder was being summoned but when the sphere turned black it was clear that whoever this was they were not common black mages.

The guards began to withdraw slightly and the captain, annoyed with the cowardice his soldiers were showing charged. But suddenly a hand of darkness shot out grabbed onto the charging bull of a bangaa and slammed the guard into the ceiling. There was the sound of cracking bone and a blood-curdling scream. Then the hand retracted and the body fell back to the floor. The soldiers once again began to quake.

Finally the dark sphere was released at the guards. As it struck the wall there was a bright flash and an explosion, then everything became once again dark and quiet. The short hump backed figure held up his left hand and a green light illuminated the tunnel once more.

"You stay here…" the short man said to a tall human ninja off to his left. "We shall proceed further and find the item we seek."

The ninja nodded and pulled the veil closer to mask his face. "Yes sir… I shall deal with anyone who might try to stop our plan."

The hood of the short one looked quickly up. "I mean _your_ plan…" the ninja corrected.

The short cloaked figure nodded slowly and then he and the tallest of their group continued onward through the dark path. Down the hall the tunnel suddenly stopped and dropped downward into a staircase.

"Sir…" the tallest of their group said. "Do you deem it wise to allow him with us?"

"Silence!" the short figure snapped. "I don't want your premonitions of doom about the men that I hire… All that we need be concerned with is that he does his job long enough for us to get the item. Remember he is one the best katana wielder in Ivalice… Even you lost to his blade."

As the two reached the bottom of the stairs a ninja approached them from within a large chamber. The two walked slowly and almost menacingly toward him and the bridge behind fell away.

"I am Gildjain the greatest ninja in the palace! All who fight me shall fall!"

The viera stepped forward. "Master…" she inquired, "may I take him?"

The hood shifted up toward her, nodded, and in a polite civilized voice came a clear, "You may."

The assassin advanced toward the man quickly ducked under the man's dual bladed swing, and shoved her katana into the man's chest. There was a gasp for air, and then a cough stifled with blood. Then the viera withdrew her katana, sheathed with a ring, and let the man drop to the ground where he would. She then turned and went back to the short cloaked figure.

"Are you getting better?" he asked. The Viera shrugged.

"Ha…haha…hahaha…" came a laugh. The viera watched as the ninja pulled himself slowly to his feet.

"M-Master…I'm sorry. I failed to finish him off…" The viera pulled out her katana and held it to her throat, but brought it down when the small figure held his hand up.

"Come, come there's no need for that. All you need to do…" the robed figure said drawing a hand out from the cloak. "Is this!!" Suddenly a black beam no wider than a pencil blasted out and struck the ninja in the center of his forehead. But the man continued to cling to life.

"You…you…DIE!!" The robed figure loosed a large pillar of searing flame which struck the ninja. "Haha…hahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!!" The fire engulfed the man who had little time to even think.

After about five minutes the viera tapped him on the shoulder. The figure stopped and looked up at her, panting heavily.

"He's dead now master."

The small figure looked at the charred cadaverous remains. "Yes…I knew that… I just love to roast corpses to make sure they're dead. Let this be a lesson to you," he said referencing the dead body. "Never cling to life. If you've been beaten then die an honorable death." The viera noted the lesson, just like she had all the others. Many a time she'd seen her master do something like this and every time she'd devoted her photographic memory to each lesson.

The two continued walking finding very simple challenges each suited to their abilities. One for stealth, one for speed, one for endurance, one for intelligence all were quickly met and passed. The only one that either had real trouble with was the trial of strength. But thanks to a double edged wit of the shorter two of the companions the challenge was soon met.

Finally the two arrived at their destination and saw the giant sealed door.

"Stand back Leana…" the robed figure said. "I shall open this door… But I don't want you to get hit by the blast."

The viera now revealed to be Leana, backed up and turned around holding her katana, Petalchaser, in her hand. Magic suddenly began to gather in between the robe's arm flaps and in an enormous blast of magical energy the door was blown wide open. The doors slid backward for a few moments and then fell into the chamber.

As the robed figure began to approach the inside until Leana stopped him with an arm in front of him. "Wait master," she said. "There's some magical force here…… Something that is near your power…"

Though he doubted her he knew that viera were more in tune with nature than any other of the five races and so he trusted her. Leana approached the inside of the chamber with cautious, tentative steps testing every tile she could. There was something inside the chamber that was powerful, at least as much as her master.

As she finally decided that she'd been wrong and was about to call her master inside, a field of magic suddenly barricaded her off from the outside and a mammoth of a chimera fell from the ceiling.

"What is it you seek within this chamber?" it asked in a very rough deep voice.

"We seek the jewel of the Grimoire. Know you anything of it?" Leana asked. She remembered the power of the creatures of fables from her early history and knew that though chimeras were powerful and intelligent they were also rational sentient beings.

There was a long moment of silence before finally it spoke again. "The jewel of the book that exists no longer here… Why do you seek it?"

She grimaced. This was a question that was not so easily answered without lying. Chimeras hated liars and cheaters almost more than anything else. She would have to carefully work her way around this one.

"I seek it for the knowledge it might contain… I assumed that it would possess at least some of the secrets of the Grimoire."

The monster looked from her to her companion and then back again.

"No," it said. "You may not have the jewel. Only one of pure heart is allowed to approach it."

"Give me the stone!!" she yelled. The beast roared.

"Disobedient pup!" it barked. "No one is allowed to approach it unless they be of purest heart!!" The chimera brought its giant lion paw down on top of her. Leana leapt out of the way and got close to the field.

"Master help!"

"You can beat it," her master encouraged. "Just use what you know! It is immune to your instant death attacks… But not to your magic!"

She dodged out of the way again as the second paw was brought down onto her. The chimera hit the magical barrier and fell back howling in pain. Its flesh was seared…it couldn't touch magic!

Leana began to focus and produced a barrier around herself and then unleashed thunder spells. The beast roared in pain and after ten bolts of thunder it collapsed to the ground.

The barrier dropped and the Leana approached her master until suddenly she found herself violently grabbed, and dragged into the air.

"You thought that you could so easily beat me?!" the chimera asked. "You have only angered me and prolonged your suffering! I shall-!" But that was as far as the creature got for protruding through his skull was a black beam of instant death that her master had developed.

"But…but YOU said that it was immune to my instant death attacks!" Leana protested.

"It was… Until you knocked out the barrier it had. After that I was just waiting for you to use Last Breath… But when you didn't I stepped in."

"Thank you for saving my life master…" Leana said.

"Oh any time dear. You're my prodigy and bodyguard. I can't let you go now can I?" The viera laughed. It wasn't as lighthearted as it probably should have been but she laughed all the same. They couldn't turn back now. No. The group had come too far to the secret to let everything go now. Once that jewel was in their hands everything would change and Leana knew that she would be respected once again.

The two companions continued their trek again and finally came upon the last door: the only one in the tunnel. The robed figure again began to charge up magic but there was a voice that said, "There is no need for such things here…"

The magic stopped and the door open wide. Within there sat a man upon a throne. Leana and her master stepped in and the door shut tightly behind them.

"Why is it that you seek the stone?" the man asked.

The robed figure approached the throne and in a slightly whimsical, happy voice responded, "We are of the those that know that magic that transcends this world. Though we know not everything as you do we wish to. Grant unto us the pearl of legend so that we too may realize all of the universe."

There was a long pause, a deep intake of breath, and the man spoke again: "I'm afraid that I cannot grant you what you seek… The stench of evil has corrupted your hearts…and driven your minds to insanity in pursuit of a dream that doesn't exist."

Leana drew her katana and leapt at the man but was quickly stopped by a force that held her helplessly in mid-air.

"Foolish child…" the enthroned man said again. "Why do you struggle against fate…?"

Leana broke free of the hold and watched the man. Her master suddenly fired a black bolt of lightning at the king.

"Urgh! Leana help me!!" her master cried.

"Child do not assist him unless you want the world to fall!" the king warned.

Leana resisted the urge to listen to the man and cried, "I'm coming master!!" When she reached her master's side Leana loosed a bolt of black lightning and suddenly the man was overpowered. The corrupted magic struck him and the man vanished into a breath of air. The soul of the Grimoire, a tiny pearl, dropped to the ground. Leana picked it up and handed it to the robed figure.

"Thank you Leana," her master said pulling back his hood. His being a nu mou was instantly revealed. "Now let us leave."

Finally they left the tunnel and found their friend sitting atop a mound of castle guards. Dead castle guards.

"Come," the two said. "We're leaving."

A young moogle black mage in a hempen robe came walking along and stopped in front of the palace. He stared up toward the main entrance and saw three people walking out: a vieran assassin, a nu mou alchemist in a fine silk lacquer robe, and a human ninja dressed in the normal attire.

"Good day to you young moogle," the nu mou said passing. The moogle bowed and continued on his way happily as could be.

"Stop moogle!" a Templar said angrily. "Have you seen anyone strange around here tonight?!"

The moogle shook his head. "No sir, kupo. I haven't seen anyone strange. Maybe they went down that way, kupo?" the moogle said pointing down a hallway opposite the true villains.

"Alright we'll check it out," the bangaa said. The guard nodded his head toward the alley and the troop ran down.

"Hey Montblanc!" a human said waving, "where've ya been? We've been waiting for you for hours!"

"Sorry kupo!" Montblanc replied. "The guards detained me a little! Seems someone's been keeping people up at night round here!"

"Well, come on!" the human said. "We've got at least ten things ordered already!"

The moogle hurried down the street toward his friend and the pub. A hot meal was waiting for him. But darkness was waiting in the wings for everyone in Ivalice.

Virgil got out of the car and stretched his legs. It had been a long time since he'd truly been home, about five years to be exact and he couldn't wait to see his dad again.

"Hey son!" Vincent, Virgil's father said stepping out of a house. "How's your mom?"

Virgil shrugged nonchalantly. "Ah she's okay I guess… But I've missed you for a while!"

"Well you came at the right time! Winter break just started around here! I mean my god you've been in England for how many years now?"

"Five, dad," Virgil said.

"My goodness…five years…and you're eighteen now right?" his father asked making sure. Virgil nodded. "Well then I guess I'm gonna have to lock the house and make sure ya don't have any friends over."

Virgil nodded. "Yeah dad sure. Hey thanks for the ride Percy!" Virgil cried calling back to the driver. His mother Marian Twanette was a rather rich lady who'd never stopped to be the absolute best at anything and didn't care who she stepped on to do it. So she had money enough to send Virgil back to see his father in style.

Virgil's dad on the other hand was a rather middle class man whom had been promised to Virgil's mother when both were really small. Being a free soul though Virgil's father had run away to live his own life but lived up to marrying the girl. She had divorced him when she found out that he didn't have the heartless guts enough to get to the top no matter what, and his dad was fine with that.

"So…ya wanna hang out or something tomorrow? I don't think you're young enough to just play catch anymore but we can do whatever ya want."

Virgil laughed. "Don't worry about it dad. We can hang out the day after. I wanna go see some friends of mine tomorrow."

His dad laughed. "Oh, Mewt and Ritz right… Hey! I heard there's a new kid in the neighborhood! Ya gonna meet him tomorrow?"

Virgil laughed and stared at his dad smiling. "Of course! Would I do any less?" With that Virgil raced off to see his friends and meet two new ones. But unknown to him forces were in motion that were about to rattle him and make him a new man in a new world...


End file.
